1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium drive including a load/unload mechanism related to a head slider. In particular, the invention relates to a recording medium drive including: a head slider opposing the air bearing surface to the surface of the recording medium; a load bar fixed to the head slider; and a ramp member receiving the load bar at an inclined surface getting move remote from the surface of the recording medium along the path of movement of the load bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional hard disk drive (HDD) sometimes includes a load/unload mechanism. In general, a ramp member of the load/unload mechanism defines a ramp located above the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The ramp defines a slope getting more remote from the surface of the magnetic recording disk at a location more remote from the rotation axis of the magnetic recording disk. When the load bar moves toward the outer periphery of the magnetic recording disk, the load bar is received on the slope. A further movement of the load bar allows the load bar to climb up the slope. The head slider is in this manner distanced from the surface of the magnetic recording disk.
The slope has a larger longitudinal length along the path of movement of the load bar. The slope thus has a larger extent in the vertical direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording disk. Even if the ramp is displaced or misaligned from the designed position in the vertical direction during assembling of the ramp member, the load bar is allowed to reliably contact the slope irrespective of the vertical displacement or misalignment of the ramp. If the slope has only a smaller longitudinal length, the load bar passes by the slope displaced in the vertical direction.
However, if the slope has a larger longitudinal length in the aforementioned manner, the slope should have a larger extent not only in the vertical direction but also in the radial direction of the magnetic recording disk. The ramp is forced to protrude toward the center of the magnetic recording disk from the periphery of the magnetic recording disk. This causes an expansion of the non-data zone on the magnetic recording disk between the periphery of the magnetic recording disk and the outermost recording track.